‘LOST’ returns in February 2010

By Tony Black | Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 12:00 AM

In case you didn’t hear, ABC’s “LOST,” my favorite television show of all time, will be airing its sixth and finale season starting Tuesday, February 2, 2010. This is old news from last week, but, seeing as how I hadn’t heard about, I assumed many of you might have missed the news as well.

Tuesday night means that it has switched nights once again. But don’t despair, this season is sure to do well no matter which night of the week it airs. I am sure fans of the first season who gave up during the sometimes iffy second and third seasons will return, wanting to know how it will all end.

It will have competition from NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics and FOX’s next season of “American Idol.”

The season 6 premiere will be 2 hours long and preceded by a one hour recap special at 8 p.m. (meaning the actual premiere will air at 9 p.m.). After the premiere, “LOST” will continue airing at 9 p.m.

And if you just can’t wait for February to get your “LOST” fix, why not “enroll” is LOST University? It is the latest alternate reality game from the creators of “LOST” to keep fans’ attention during hiatuses. It looks like you might have to own season 5 of “LOST” on Blu-ray to unlock all the University has to offer, but that seems too exclusive since there are still so many people who don’t have Blu-ray players. We’ll just have to wait and see as the University “begins” the same day as the season 5 DVD and Blu-ray are released on Dec. 8.

Are you excited for the final season of “LOST”? Have you re-watched any of the previous seasons in order to prepare for the final one? What “LOST” questions do you want answered in the final season?

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What to watch on TV during Thanksgiving

By Tony Black | Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 12:26 AM

Besides sports, what else is there to watch on Thanksgiving Day this year? Not much unless you are big into marathons and airings of old holiday movies.

Gail Pennington at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch compiled a convenient list of non-sports related TV programing airing on Thanksgiving to help you drown out the noise your family is making around you.

From her list, here are the shows I may be watching while my parents argue with each other:

• James Bond movies - 7 a.m.-4:30 a.m. on Syfy - Who doesn’t like a little campy fun with their pumpkin pie?
• ‘MythBusters’ - marathon starts at 8 a.m. on Discovery - I have never actually watched this show, but I have always wanted to. Maybe Thanksgiving will give me an excuse.
• ‘Deal or No Deal’ - 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on GSN - I really don’t like this show, but I can’t seem to look away once it’s on. The entire concept of the game is chance, but I still find myself shouting at the contestants “No Deal!”
• ‘Top Chef’ - 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Bravo - I don’t care for ‘Top Chef’ marathons as much as I do for ‘Project Runway’ marathons, but Zack won’t be able to resist once he sees it in the programming guide. Don’t expect to use this as a chance to catch up on the current season, however. The programming guide tells a tale of holiday themed episodes and specials from throughout the various seasons.
• ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ - 7 p.m. on ABC - It’s classic fun, though I hope to be leaving my parents’ house around this time
• ‘Home Alone’ - 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on FX - After my mother has guilted Zack and I into staying a little longer, we will pass the time watching this classic holiday film which Zack and I both grew up on. Oh, and just to clarify, this isn’t a marathon of all the ‘Home Alone’ movies (there are 4 BTW), it is just the first movie on a loop for 12 hours

Be sure to check your local listings for more details about Thanksgiving Day television programming.

Check out the full list on Pennington’s Tube Talk blog and comment below with what you’ll be watching Thanksgiving Day.

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Do you watch the commercials on your DVR?

By Zack McGhee | Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 09:29 AM

A recent New York Times article about the DVR cited a Nielsen study that “46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching the commercials during playback.” Why?

The Times quotes Brad Adgate, Horizon Media’s senior vice president for research, as saying, “It’s still a passive activity.”

This statistic shocked me. Do you watch the commercials on your DVR’d shows?

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